vietnam

We spent several days in the lovely city of Hue during our three-week trip to Vietnam last month. Our second day there was our “tomb day”, wherein we resolved to visit as many of its famous royal tombs as we could on motorbike. On the way to Minh Mang Tomb from Khai Dinh Tomb, one is greeted from afar with the sight of a huge statue of the Goddess of Mercy, known as Quan Am or Quan The Am in Vietnamese. This 21 m-high statue sits serenely near the top of a hill, nestled among the trees. It’s not as big as the 67 m-tall Guanyin statue we previously saw at Linh Ung Pagoda in Danang, but the stark contrast of its immaculate white paint against the lush green canopy makes for a very striking visual.

I wasn’t able to take a good picture from afar; Panoramio to the rescue! Photograph: Nhan nguyen van

Our plate was full that day with our quest to see all of the royal tombs, but we vowed to go to wherever this statue is on our last day in Hue. However, when we went back to our hotel, none of the staff knew about this place. (I guess it really must be off the beaten path if even the locals don’t know about it…) It’s also not on the tourist maps or even Lonely Planet Vietnam, even though it is visible from the popular Khai Dinh Tomb. (There’s so many sights to see in Hue; I guess the non-UNESCO World Heritage sites like this one are not given priority.)

Google Maps to the rescue! It is marked there as Chua Phat Dung (Pagoda of the Standing Buddha), located at Huong Thuy town on the outskirts of Hue.

There are two ways to get up the hill — one dirt road leads to the front of the statue, while the other to the back. These two roads are quite clear upon zooming in on satellite view on Google Maps. We missed the front entrance and ended up traversing the other road. I suppose the view during the ride up would have been better had the statue been facing us, but who cares, we got there!

The view from the back

Just before we reached the top, we passed by a girl who signaled to us to park our motorbike with her. If you see her, ignore her and just go straight up, because you can park for free at the area at the back of the statue. We went up and around and finally got to see the statue up front and close.

Locals offering up prayers

It was definitely more peaceful than the similar Linh Ung Pagoda in Danang, which is packed with tourists. We spent a relaxing half hour there, just enjoying the view and the breeze and chatting with some of the locals, under the tranquil gaze of the Goddess of Mercy.

When it comes to swimming in Cat Ba, the largest island in Halong Bay, Vietnam, tourists usually converge on the beaches of Cat Co Cove on the southeastern tip of the island. These beaches, simply named Cat Co 1, Cat Co 2, and Cat Co 3, are a short electric buggy ride away from the town.

Mostly local Vietnamese tourists on Cat Co 1

We stayed in Cat Ba for three nights during our three-week trip to Vietnam last month. On our second day, we swung by the three Cat Co beaches for a look-see, only to find them all crowded. We went on a weekday; imagine how packed they would be on a weekend. Also, dotted among the throng of beachgoers were a couple of female tourist photographers who would follow them around, to the water even, and take pictures for a fee. While these enterprising cameramen are a common sight in other attractions (Rizal Park, anyone?), it was my first time to see them on a beach. (An aside: I do wonder if this is still a viable trade, with everyone and their mother armed with camera phones these days).

Luckily, our guide during our island motorbike tour earlier showed us the way to another beach just west of town. This beach is called Tung Thu Beach, also known as Cat Co 4 among the locals.

Look Ma, almost no one here at Tung Thu Beach

Once upon a time, Tung Thu Beach was bustling like the Cat Co beaches, with a restaurant, cabanas, and the whole shebang on the shore, but for some reason all of these now lie abandoned. Tung Thu Beach is part of an ambitious real estate development project called Cat Ba Amatina. When we passed by its grounds on the way to the beach, though, there didn’t seem to be any work going on. Our guide earlier said that nobody was interested in buying the villas they planned to build (I guess they didn’t do a feasibility study…). There’s also a danger of falling rocks on one edge of the beach because of cliff erosion, but it’s safe as long as one avoids that area.

Deserted resort building on the shore

With the amenities looking downtrodden, obviously Tung Thu Beach isn’t on any of the tourist maps. There were only a few locals when we went there. No motorbike parking fees, no touts, no crowds.

The downside to being an abandoned beach is that no one picks up the trash. There were a few here and there, but not enough to mar the experience. It’s still a nice escape from the hustle and bustle of town.

How to get there

The best way to get to Tung Thu Beach is by motorbike, as the electric buggies don’t venture out there. One can easily rent a motorbike anywhere for a few bucks a day. I can’t remember the exact way we got there, only that we headed west from town, entered the seemingly abandoned Cat Ba Amatina area, and rode toward the shore until we saw the welcome arch below:

Below is our DIY itinerary of our trip to Vietnam last month. Folks planning a similar route might find it useful. We skipped Ho Chi Minh City since I’ve been there before. We also took it easy some days to catch our breath. There’s so much to see in Vietnam that three weeks isn’t enough, but this is a pretty good start.

We rode the bus-boat-bus combo to Cat Ba on Hoang Long for VND 240,000 per person (one way). There are faster ways to get to the island from Hanoi, but dealing with just one transportation company was more convenient with less hassle.

It’s easy enough to ride around Cat Ba by oneself with a map, but we opted for a guided tour for most of the day. It worked out great, as our guide knew practically everyone on the island, and the locals were more open to us with him around. They let us inside their homes, allowing us to see a different side of the island other than the usual touristy one.

We opted for the day cruise that spends more time at Lan Ha Bay because it is less crowded and has less rubbish floating on its waters than the better-known Halong Bay. We feel that one day is enough, because after a while one gets karst-ed out and the rocks begin to look the same.

After days of motorbiking by ourselves, we decided to take a step back and book a package tour for this day and the next. We bargained hard and got the 2 days/1 night all-inclusive tour of the two caves for USD 59 per person.

Locals rollerblading and playing basketball under the watchful eye of Emperor Quang Trung

Nui Ban (Ban Mountain) is an airy, quiet park in Hue, Vietnam. It is watched over by an imposing 21 m-high statue of Emperor Quang Trung, formerly known as Nguyen Hue, of the Tay Son Dynasty. You might be wondering, “Where’s the mountain?” According to this page, the emperor “had Ban Mountain leveled to make an esplanade for the Heaven prayer rituals.” So a giant monument of its destroyer now stands where the mountain used to be… (Cue Ironic by Alanis Morissette.)

We stumbled upon this place while exploring Hue on motorbike. I doubt many tourists pass by Nui Ban, as it is quite a ways from the Perfume River, a boat ride on which is the usual way to get to the famous Royal Tombs. Indeed, there were only a couple of locals there when we made our impromptu stop.

Nui Ban is a nice place to just chill and hang out, especially if you’re tombed out. You can even rent rollerblades from an enterprising local and skate around the park with the kids.

How to get there

The easiest way to get to Nui Ban is by motorbike, as it isn’t a usual stop on most package tours. One can easily rent a motorbike anywhere for a few bucks a day. Nui Ban isn’t marked on Google Maps, but it’s quite visible on satellite view on the corner of Ngu Binh and Hoang Thi Loan, to the left of Ngu Binh Mountain.

I know what you’re thinking: “A shopping mall is off the beaten path?!?” Well in Hanoi, it is. Most tourists congregate in and around Hoan Kiem district, home to the Old Quarter, after which they say goodbye to Hanoi for good to traverse the well-worn tourist trail south to Ho Chi Minh City.

Vincom Mega Mall (VMM) Royal City is located in Thanh Xuan district, where many schools and universities are situated. We passed by this standout sprawl on the public bus to and from Hanoi University (as to why we were there, it’s another story altogether). Royal City caught my eye because it was imposing, retro-modern, and new with immaculate white paint — a refreshing sight after days in and around the Old Quarter.

On our last day in Vietnam, we went there by public bus, accompanied by our friendly student guides from Hanoikids. Apparently we were the only ones of their many guests who wanted to go there. They were a bit surprised actually, seeing as we were from the Philippines, which is well-known to them as the land of the shopping malls.

Granted, it’s not as big as the countless Ayala, Robinsons, and SM malls dotting our country, but it is certainly unique in that its two floors, plus two more for parking, are all underground. It also boasts of an indoor skating rink, water park and waterfall. What you see aboveground are actually apartment buildings by the same developer. They may look expensive, but according to our guides, the units at Royal City are way cheaper than the cramped ones in the Old Quarter. This is probably because the latter gets most of the tourist traffic, and the former none at all — when we went to Royal City, we were the only tourists there.

The shopping mall is below all these

VMM Royal City has one thing I sorely missed back home — air conditioning! In three weeks, we got to go to a lot of places in Northeast and Central Vietnam, and everywhere most shops and restaurants are open-air. (They don’t seem to be fond of air-conditioning in Vietnam…) I remember this expensive restaurant in Danang called The Waterfront; even that upscale place had fans only. (Good luck charging those prices without a/c in the Philippines.) The cool air of the mall was a heavenly respite from the sweltering summer heat.

Fancy indoor waterfall

As it was our last day in Vietnam, we also wanted to go there for some pasalubong shopping before we headed to the airport in the evening. There are all manner of souvenir shops in the Old Quarter, but I don’t like haggling and bargaining; buying at a fixed price saves one from all those hassles. We went to their supermarket and bought some “Made in Vietnam” food items. When we went to the airport afterward, we saw the same products being sold at the gift shops there for twice the price.

How to get there

The easiest way to get to Royal City is by taxi, as it is 6-7 km away from the Old Quarter. However, as everyone knows, Hanoi is full of taxi scams, so the bus is a good and cheaper alternative. We ourselves went there by bus, which cost us only VND 7,000 per person. You can easily find out which bus to take by consulting Google Maps and clicking the Transit icon. To be sure you’re on the right bus, ask the bus conductor if it stops at Royal City. He likely won’t speak any English, but he’ll either nod or shake his head.

In Vietnam, a Temple of Confucius is called Van Mieu (Temple of Literature). Along the Perfume River, on the outskirts of Hue, lies one such Confucian temple — the Temple of Literature in Huong Tra district, Thua Thien-Hue province.

This particular Temple of Literature hardly gets any visitors, even though it’s a very short distance away from the popular Thien Mu Pagoda, which is still part of Hue. This is understandable, as Hue is jam-packed with attractions. We ourselves spent three full days there, but still it wasn’t enough.

While not as grand as its famous counterpart in Hanoi, which is a common stop in most city tours, we’re glad we went because we had the place all to ourselves, which is rare in this Hue tourist trail. It didn’t even have a guard, so we got to park our motorbike right inside. No parking fees, and certainly no jostling with fellow travelers to get the perfect tourist shot.

Cue: perfect tourist shot

How to get there

The easiest way to get to the Temple of Literature is by vehicle, as most group boat tours along the Perfume River don’t stop there. One can easily rent a motorbike anywhere for a few bucks a day. From the Citadel, head west on Kim Long. It is just around 700 m past Thien Mu Pagoda. If you’re going on a private tour by vehicle, Thien Mu Pagoda is most likely on the itinerary; just tell your guide to drive a little further up the road.